GLOBAL – International Organizations and global political leaders have welcomed and committed to a clear set of targets and actions, including reducing the estimated 4.95 million human deaths associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) annually by 10% by 2030.
The International Organizations include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
The goal will be reached through diversifying funding sources and securing more contributors to the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
In the political declaration at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during a High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), there was a call for sustainable national financing and US$100 million in catalytic funding to support the goal of having at least 60% of countries implement funded national action plans on AMR by 2030.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines, leading to infections becoming difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
On agriculture and animal health, the declaration has commitments to, by 2030, meaningfully reduce the quantity of antimicrobials used globally in the agri-food systems by prioritizing and funding the implementation of measures to prevent and control infections and ensuring prudent, responsible and evidence-based use of antimicrobials in animal health.
This is to be achieved in the context of the WOAH list of priority diseases and FAO’s RENOFARM initiative, as well as preventive strategies, including animal vaccination strategies, good husbandry practices, biosecurity, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
“…Our health depends on safe, nutritious food, and food security hinges on healthy, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agrifood systems. For nearly 79 years, FAO has been steadfast in its mission to secure safe, nutritious food for all. We fully support this declaration and remain committed to a multisectoral, multi-stakeholder approach to eliminate AMR risks in agrifood systems,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.
Similarly, WOAH Director General Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran explained that antimicrobials help animals and humans live longer and healthier lives, but many of these life-saving drugs are dangerously losing their efficacy, which has devastating impacts not only on human health, but also on livestock and the economy at large.
The declaration also encourages countries to report quality surveillance data on antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use by 2030, utilizing existing global systems.
The system include the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), the Global Database for Antimicrobial Use in Animals (ANIMUSE) of WOAH, and the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring (InFARM).
It further calls for 95% of countries to annually report on the implementation of their AMR national action plans through the Tracking AMR Country Self-assessment Survey (TrACSS).
